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appetizers

Today I’m going to show you how to grill quesadillas. I love quesadillas, they are the perfect appetizer, and they are simple to make too. Quesadilla are a really popular snack to make these days, and pretty much any restaurant you go to has them on their appetizer menu. Traditionally they are cooked on a skillet, but we are going to take them outside and put it on the grill.

Traditionally quesadilla are made with on tortillas with some cheese and tomatoes. You could just do that if you want, but I like to add a few more things to give mine a bit more substance. In addition to the cheese and tomatoes, I’m going to add some jalapeno slices, sweet mini pepper slices, onion, and cilantro.

In all reality you can put anything you want into these. I’ve put chicken, pork, and shrimp into these before, along with all sorts of different cheeses. Experiment; that is what makes this fun.

All right, we need to arrange all these bad boys. So, take your tortillas and arrange the cheese, tomatoes, peppers, onion, and cilantro on one half of each tortilla. Fold the other side over the top. Pretty simple huh?

Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. If you are using charcoal it is best to set up a 3 zone fire. This basically means that each zone has a little less heat. So one zone will have the medium-high heat, the next will be a little cooler, and the last zone will not have any coals. If you are using a gas grill leave one zone off.

The reason we want to do this is that tortillas will burn quickly, so you want to be able to move your quesadillas to a cooler zone quickly. So, you will want to keep your eyes on these throughout grilling.

Once your grill is ready, place the quesadillas on the grate. Grill for about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Brush with the melted butter while grilling; I use a silicone basting set like this one. The tortillas will be a nice golden brown, and the cheese will be slightly melted once they are done. Make sure to keep your eye and them and move them to a cooler zone if they start to burn.

Once they are done serve them immediately. You can eat them whole, or slice them into wedges. That is how to grill quesadillas that turn out amazing. Feel free to experiment with different ingredients. These are so simple, and fun to make.

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Yup, you heard me right, grilled Tator Tots. Sure you’ve had them many times cooking in the oven, but I bet you’ve never had them grilled.

Well, I tell you, they are even better grilled. It is so simple to do to.

You are going to dig this simple but tasty recipe.

Enjoy!

Grilled Tator Tots

1 pkg. tater tots, frozen
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup white or green onion, chopped
6 tbsp butter
Using a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, coat it with a bit of butter or non-stick cooking spray. Use a sheet large enough to seal into a pouch, otherwise use to equal sized pieces of foil.

Spread the Tator Tots on the foil into a single layer. Cover with the cheddar cheese and the onions. Slice up the butter and place it on top.

If you used and extra large piece of aluminum foil, fold it to form a sealed pouch. Otherwise if you used to sheets of foil place the other sheet on top and seal the edges.

Set up your gas or charcoal grill for medium heat. Place the Tator Tot pouch on the grill. Grill the Tots for approximately 15 to 20 minutes per side.

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Meatballs

Slice the bacon in half. Wrap a piece of the sliced bacon around each of the thawed meatballs. Stick a toothpick through it to secure the bacon in place. Sprinkle a bit of the BBQ seasoning on the meatballs. Here is the rub I like.

Setup your smoker to smoke at 250 degrees. Using the smoking wood of your choice. I really prefer apple wood for these. You can also make these on an gas grill, you will need to regulate your heat, and use one of these smoker boxes.

Smoke the meatballs for approximately 1 hour, then coat with the BBQ sauce. Smoke for another 30 minutes before serving.

These are a really great appetizer for any outdoor cookout. Give them a try.

In a mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and cheddar cheese. Mix until it is blended well.

Cut a lengthwise sliver out of each of the jalapenos. Set aside the sliver. Using the handle of a spoon, scrape the seeds out of the jalapenos.

Take the slivers you cut from the jalapenos and dice them up. Add the diced jalapeno slivers to the cream cheese filling. Stuff each of the peppers with the cream cheese filling. Once filled wrap each of the stuffed jalapenos in a slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.

Oil your grill grate and place the jalapenos on the opposite side of the heat source. If you are using smaller jalapenos you may want to use a grill pan to keep the jalapenos from falling through the grates.

Grill the jalapeno poppers for around 30 to 40 minutes until the bacon is browned.

Servings: 16

A cool tool to have when grilling jalapeno poppers is a jalapeno rack. Here is the one I use. It comes with a corer which helps with preparing a lot of jalapenos fast. It’s definitely a handy rack.

Setup your charcoal grill or gas grill for direct heat. Take two 30×18-inch pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray or rub with a bit of canola oil. Spread the tortilla chips on centers of the pieces of foil. Mix sausage, chilies and seasoning mix; spoon over tortilla chips. Top with the tomatoes and onions. And finally sprinkle with cheese.

Wrap foil tightly around tortilla chips forming a packet. Cover and grill foil packets with the seam sides up. Grill the nachos for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Servings: 8

The kinds of appetizers you can make on the grill are pretty much endless. How about this for a unique appetizer, tater tots on the grill.